In a major pollution-control move ahead of peak winter, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta distributed electric heaters to night guards of Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) on Sunday. The move aimed to curb the widespread practice of burning firewood and waste to stay warm, one of the most persistent sources of toxic winter smoke in the Capital.
Calling the initiative a “clean and safe alternative” to open fires, the Chief Minister said the Delhi Government would continue to roll out targeted interventions to reduce winter pollution. She stressed that the campaign against pollution is being run in “mission mode,” and the city cannot afford to avoidable sources of smoke at a time when air quality remains fragile.
The heaters were distributed at Dilli Haat, Pitampura, using CSR funds from the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC). The Chief Minister thanked Environment and Industries Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa and DSIIDC for facilitating the initiative. She said the move directly addresses a key winter pollutant: the smoke that rises each night from hundreds of small fires lit by guards across residential colonies. “Open fires create thick layers of smoke that settle over entire neighbourhoods. These heaters will help prevent that. Cleaner winters must become the new normal for Delhi,” the Chief Minister said.
She added that the government is simultaneously working on multiple fronts to curb pollution. Mechanical sweeping and water sprinkling have been expanded across major roads. Mist-spraying systems are being installed on electricity poles to reduce suspended particulate matter, and a comprehensive dust-mitigation plan has been put in place. Industrial units, she said, are under strict watch for emission compliance.
The Chief Minister reiterated that open burning of waste or firewood is now strictly prohibited. To support low-income families, the government is providing gas connections to curb dependence on firewood for cooking or heating.
She urged RWAs and citizens to actively report cases of open burning and said that pollution control cannot be achieved by government enforcement alone. “Public participation is essential. Clean air is a shared responsibility,” she said.
Environment and Industries Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, speaking at the event, said that even though vehicle numbers have risen by nearly 10 per cent this year and construction activity by over 20 per cent, the Air Quality Index (AQI) has shown “consistent and encouraging improvement” compared to previous years.
Sirsa also pointed to progress at Delhi’s legacy waste sites, where nearly 40 per cent of garbage mounds have been cleared. Much of the reclaimed land has already been used for plantation drives, he said, calling it a “symbol of the city’s transformation strategy.”
With the distribution of electric heaters marking the first winter-specific intervention of the season, officials said more targeted measures would be introduced in the coming weeks as part of the government’s broader action plan.
